They returned to the farm and as they exited the truck, Applejack tilted her hat back to look quizzically at her friend.

“You like spicy food?” she asked as she shut her truck door. They were parked in front of her family home.

“Is water wet?” Sunset asked with a teasing smile. She laced her hands behind her back. “Of course I do!”

Applejack’s articulate lips spread wide, causing dimples in her freckled cheeks as they ascended the porch steps. “You’ll like what I’m about to whip up,” she said, rubbing her hands eagerly.

Not long after, she made Sunset spicy vegan jambalaya. The warm and zesty aroma made Sunset’s mouth water. It was filling and definitely had the heat Applejack had promised. Sunset was once again impressed by her friend’s culinary skills. She savored the complex flavors of the brown rice, garlic, onions, celery, tomatoes, and jalapeño mixed with sriracha sauce. Her face turned red as she shoveled another bite into her mouth with gusto. This was delicious, but boy. If tongues could scream…

That was the weird magic of spicy food. Hidden in the heat were robust flavors you couldn’t enjoy anywhere else. Sunset had developed an appreciation for hot things when Pinkie had introduced her to the magic of cupcakes drizzled with hot sauce.

Applejack winced in the seat adjacent to Sunset, a fist on her cheek as she leaned on the wooden dining table. On the tiled kitchen counter, an old radio softly played country music.

“Too hot?” she asked, her green eyes creased with worry.

Sunset shook her head emphatically, a laugh punching up her burning throat. “No, it’s delicious!” She reassured the other girl with a little wave. “I’m weird, I like being maced in the mouth.”

Applejack raised her eyebrows and thumbed over her shoulder. “Oh! Well, in that case, I still have a can of pepper spray Granny bought me a few years ago! Want me to spray it over your food?”

Sunset batted her eyes. “Oh gosh, would you, please?” They laughed together until Sunset coughed suddenly and fanned her face. “Crap, I think a jalapeno seed hit the back of my throat!” she wheezed dryly.

Applejack’s eyes went wide, forming a small ripple on her smooth forehead as she handed over a glass of milk. Sunset had originally tried to tell her it wasn’t necessary to pour out, but gosh was she glad for that glass now! Applejack thumped her heartily on the back while she chugged the cool drink down in desperate gulps. “Don’t you die on me!” the cowgirl pleaded.

Big Mac, who was in the kitchen finishing washing up his plates from lunch, chuckled at them.

“Hush up, you!” Applejack scolded him, but her lips were quirking up. “Can’t you see my friend is burning from the inside out?”

Sunset wiped at her mouth and twisted around in her seat to look at Big Mac, “Mac, you want some?” She held up her bowl and wagged her eyebrows. “Come! Immolate with me!”

“Nope!” he said, shaking his head with wide eyes. He dried his hands with a towel and saluted Sunset as he made his way to the front door.

Sunset feigned shock. “What a jerk! You’d think with his red hair he’d wanna top up on hot food to maintain his vibrancy!”

“Now, now,” Applejack said wagging a finger at Sunset. “I made that for you, missy.” Her expression sobered. “At this rate, I’m wonderin’ if this is the most you’ll eat all day.”

Sunset took a bite of food in lieu of responding. What could she say, anyway? She had been skipping more meals lately. The cigarettes made it even easier to curb her appetite.

Her eyes remained fixed on her meal as she tried to think of how to steer the conversation back to the lighthearted banter they’d just been enjoying. She could feel her body heat up, and it had nothing to do with the food. She sighed inwardly. Why couldn’t it just stay fun?

She didn’t want to talk about the bills, the collection letters, the late nights staring at her bank account on her laptop screen with tears streaming from her eyes, thinking desolately, If I go out tonight dressed just right, I could make this go away in just a month.

No. Never again.

She would never do that again.

Never mind her pony problems, her human struggles had once shivered on a street corner in the middle of the night…

Her nose itched, and her eyes stung with self-loathing. Suppressing the lump in her throat, she tensed her muscles, holding them in a painful, rigid embrace.

Applejack leaned in closer, trying to catch Sunset’s eyes. Sunset met her gaze reluctantly. “Sunset, I mean it. Ya got me worried, now. Seems like damn near every time I see you, you’re hungry as heck.” AJ’s face was drawn tight as she said this, her brow creating a small shadow over her eyes.

Sunset swallowed her food and wiped at her mouth with a napkin. It was just more stalling. All the silly cute one-liners she’d managed to think up tumbled away into the ether. It was no good. Applejack wasn’t going to let this go.

She sighed heavily and sank a little in her seat.

“I have over two thousand in bills every month and no time for a steady job to pay it all,” Sunset said in a low voice, her eyes tensing as she nervously looked from her food to her friend’s eyes. She was trying to gauge how her words were being received. “That isn’t including school or day-to-day living expenses.”

Applejack whistled, her eyes going wide. Sunset’s stomach flopped unpleasantly. “That’s quite a number!”

Sunset nodded her head, a shaky lopsided smile pulling her lips back. It didn’t reach her eyes. “Yep! All because I was a moron and bought too much stuff with credit!”

“And you’re… what? Trying to save money by not eating?” Applejack’s lips pressed thin as she tilted an eyebrow ever so slightly. “Sugarcube, no offense, but that plan fits like socks on a rooster.”

Sunset’s grip on her spoon tightened. “Wanna look at my budget and tell me how to manage it better?” she asked, frustration eking into her voice. She winced and covered her face. “Sorry. I know you’re just trying to help.”

Applejack rubbed her shoulder, her eyebrows pushing together and up. “Hey. It’s all right. I’d be wound up tight about it, too. And I ain’t trying to call into question your accountin’ skills. We both know you can run circles around me when it comes to numbers. All I’m sayin’ is…we just made a deal, right?” She smiled cautiously, almost like she was apologetic for maneuvering Sunset into this position and held up her hands. “Can I help?”

Sunset blinked at her, her face lengthening with her puzzlement. She let the spoon sit in her bowl as she rested her sweaty hands in her lap. “What like…” she squinted one eye. “Make me food?”

Applejack bobbed her head, her lower lip pushing out. “More or less! I mean, shoot. I’m already kinda doing it, aren’t I?”

Sunset shook her head with a soft frown and waved her hands in front of her. “Oh, AJ, I don’t want to add to your work–”

Applejack patted the air in a placating motion. “No! Listen, you wouldn’t be adding nothing to anything, y’hear? It’s not like I’d have to go too far out of my way to make a meal meatless.”

Sunset's shoulders hitched up, and she gestured at the dimly lit kitchen behind them. "But then I’d just be eating up all of your food!"

Turning her eyes briefly to the ceiling, Applejack scooted her chair closer, the legs squeaking loudly over the floorboards. She lifted her eyebrows, grabbing her friend’s hand. “Sunset.”

Stilling, Sunset's skin turned pink as she looked at her hand, then at Applejack. Her hand was dry, a little rough, but warm.

“I really like taking care of you. All right? Will you let me? Please?” Applejack pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes squeezing to slivers in her earnestness. “For my own damn sanity, if nothing else!” When Sunset tried to open her mouth again to say something in protest, she only got as far as “I–!” before the cowgirl thrust a stern finger at her and interjected, “Now you remember, you made me a promise!”

Sunset leaned back in her seat, feeling odd turns of affection and frustration swirl around inside of her. Like a child who had been scolded by their parent for something they regretted getting wrong. She felt tears prick her eyes. She blinked them away quickly. “You’re stubborn,” Sunset said with a shaky smile.

Applejack winked and grinned at her. “Like a mule.”

Sunset moved to speak once more, intent on accepting her friend’s offer for help, when there was a sudden buzzing sound. Applejack’s expression cleared as her eyes grew with surprise. She sat back in her seat and pulled her phone out of her front pocket, a frown on her face as she looked at the display.

Sunset took this moment of distraction to wipe away an errant tear from the corner of her eye. She was sniffling a little, and she wasn’t sure if it was from getting emotional or because the food was just that spicy. Her mouth was still burning, so maybe it was a little bit of column A, a little bit of column B. She drank a little more milk and thought about the conversation they’d just had.

She hated to be a bother. She didn’t want to trouble Applejack. Her friend had plenty of worries without adding Sunset to the top of the heap. Sunset felt like she was failing her mission to help her friend get over her recent heartbreak. But, grudgingly, she supposed one way a person could feel better was in taking care of someone else. She certainly wasn’t guilty of that or anything.

Sunset let her shoulders sag as she sighed a little. It was so hard lying to yourself when you were that self-aware.

When she looked at Applejack again, eager to escape her own thoughts, it was to see her friend blushing hard, her freckled cheeks tensed as she screwed her mouth to the side.

“What’s the matter?” Sunset asked, glancing at her phone for a clue. She couldn’t see the display the way the other girl was holding it.

Applejack looked at her but her gaze rubberbanded back onto her device. “Rainbow.” The name barely made it past her tight lips. She sighed heavily, and it sounded like it was just a hair’s breath away from morphing into a growl.

This made Sunset chuckle dryly, and she felt a little bad for doing it. She knew Rainbow was going through a difficult time, but that didn’t change the fact that their mutual friend could be frustrating to deal with too. “What’s she up to now?” Sunset asked lightly. She started to scoop up another spoonful of the jambalaya.

Applejack slouched a little as she leaned heavily on the table and tongued her cheek. “She’s trying to hook me up with one of her teammates,” she grumbled.

Sunset had been about to take another bite of her food when she let her spoon drop into the bowl with a loud clatter.

Applejack looked at her in surprise. “You all right?” she asked, her eyes tensing.

Sunset leaned on the table and covered her face with one hand, her body clenched tight right down to her finger digits. She was smiling, but it was a stiff facsimile of the real thing. She didn’t dare pull her lips back any more than she already had lest it become the snarl it was so close to being.

She shouldn’t have been so annoyed. Seldom did Rainbow listen to anyone the first time, least of all Sunset, but somehow this didn’t stop the intense displeasure that shot through her like a flaming arrow. Now her insides were burning for entirely different reasons than the food.

“I told her it wasn’t a good idea,” Sunset eventually managed to say in a slow and careful if taut voice. She didn’t want to betray how much this bothered her, lest it lead to questions she wasn’t quite ready to answer yet. She removed her hand from her face and instead used it to prop her head up as she eyed Applejack. She could feel her face roasting with her anger. “Did she say who she was thinking of pairing you with?” Try as she might, she couldn’t stop her words from sounding clipped. Like she was biting each one out.

Applejack shrugged, a small grin on her lips as her bright eyes searched Sunset’s red face. “All she said was that it was a teammate,” the cowgirl said slowly, like she had no idea what was going on and she was concerned she’d step into something unpleasant. “Her friend wanted a picture of me,” she added, blushing a little herself as she tugged her hat down nervously.

Sunset quirked an eyebrow, her jaw tightening. “You gonna give her one?”

Applejack scratched at a brow with her pinky. Her forehead wrinkled as she stared between her phone and Sunset. “I mean… I dunno?” Her grin gained more of a slant. “You think I shouldn’t?” It almost sounded like she was asking permission.

Sunset ran her tongue along the inside of her bottom lip and counted to ten. With a deep breath, she turned her gaze forward, to the cluttered living room. The window curtains were pulled open, lighting up the dust motes floating through the space. The television was off and Granny Smith was gone. She was in her room taking a nap. Sunset let her eyes rove over the vibrant colors of the granny square blanket draped over the back of the worn olive green antique couch. All the while, she thought furiously.

Rainbow is such a nice friend.

A pain in the neck, but a nice friend.

You can’t be mad at her. She doesn’t know what you’re up to.

Sunset forced another tight smile as her fist clenched over the table.

Rainbow is such a good friend and I love her and I appreciate what she’s doing.

Even if she really didn’t. After Sunset’s reformation, she had learned early on that when negative emotions like anger cropped up inside of her, it was helpful (if mildly painful) to force herself to think the opposite. She did this for school teachers, rude classmates, and sometimes even with her friends.

“She’ll probably keep pestering you until you give an answer either way, AJ,” Sunset finally managed to say. She inwardly patted herself on the back. Her voice had even sounded more relaxed.

“I know, I know.” Applejack sighed roughly with a quick eye roll. She put the phone back in her pocket, her mouth tilting as she spoke out of one side, “I’ll think about it.” She stood from her chair, her gaze softening as she gestured at Sunset’s bowl. “Go ahead and eat up. I’ma go see if I can find Apple Bloom. Mac and I ain’t seen her since before I left with Brooke this morning, and I got a suspicion she’s off goofing somewhere.”

Sunset watched Applejack go until she was out of sight and the screen door creaked back into place. With the other girl gone, she dropped the mask of pleasant indifference and allowed the scowl she’d been holding back to appear.

She knew she was being ridiculous. Rainbow, meddlesome as she could be, was just trying to help her friend feel better. Weren’t they working toward the same goal, in the end?

That didn’t stop Sunset from imagining Rainbow getting catapulted into the ocean.

She sighed and took another bite of jambalaya. Just let it go. It probably won’t lead to anything. She grimaced as her mouth ignited with heat again. Reaching for her glass of milk, she panted with her tongue pushed out, “Wow, this got me good!”

When her meal was done, Sunset washed her bowl, dried it, and put it away. From the bedroom door near the stairs, she heard Granny Smith holler unintelligibly, like she was requesting something. Sunset blinked curiously as she went up to the door, her hands still damp from her cleaning, and she pressed her ear to the white painted wood. Had she guessed right?

“Is someone there? I got a mighty thirst…” Granny’s frail voice called. Sunset opened the door a crack. “Granny?”

The bedroom was of modest size, probably big enough for two and a half people of Sunset’s height to lay across the floor both ways. There was a tall dresser up against the wall, ladened with pictures of family. Cousin Braeburn beamed from one picture. A baby Apple Bloom giggled in another. Crowding behind these were trophies. Sunset guessed them to be Applejack’s. This used to be her room, after all.

Granny Smith was laying on a modest twin bed, covered up to her chin with heavy quilts. Sunset blinked at the sight. It was such a warm day, she had trouble understanding how anyone would want to cover themselves so much. Then she remembered that Granny was in her 80s and elderly people could be sensitive to cold.

“Sunset Shimmer?” Granny Smith’s faded orange eyes blinked as she squinted at the door. “Might I trouble ye for a glass of water?”

Sunset felt her heart twist to see the once energetic grandmother so frail and so weak. She still had vivid memories of just a few years ago when the older woman was still round and portly, laughing with strength in her voice as she teased the students in their school’s lunchline.

She remembered that time, before her reformation, when she complained that they never had brie like French schools. She could still see the length of Granny’s meaty arm as she pointed a ladle dripping with gravy at her face. “People in hell want ice water, but that don't mean they get it, missy!” the woman had snapped before slapping a messy scoop of mashed potatoes on her tray.

In the present, Sunset slipped quietly into the room and picked up the empty glass on the bedside table. “I’ll bring you some water,” she murmured with a kind smile. She left the room and made the short trek to the kitchen, refilling the glass fully before she returned and sat on the side of the bed. Holding up the glass, she asked, “Ready for a sip?”

Granny nodded, her lips smacking as she tilted her head toward the drink. Sunset helped her by going the rest of the way and tipping it to the older woman’s mouth. She went slow, worried she’d make Granny choke.

When the grandmother turned her face, Sunset set the glass on the bedside table and tucked her into the blankets better. “Do you need anything else, Granny Smith?” she asked, looking at the woman deferentially.

Granny caught her hand before she could pull away, patting it warmly. Her wrinkled face pulled back in a broad smile. “That’ll do it. Thank you, Sunset. You’re a real prize.”

Sunset’s lips pursed and spread wide as she caressed the woman’s liver-spotted hand once before turning and leaving the room. Shutting the door, Sunset looked around the house. It was eerily quiet. Ordinarily being in someone else’s home alone left her feeling uneasy, like she’d get blamed for something going awry. Sunset grinned as she exited the house.

She didn’t feel that way here.

Across the large dirt driveway, she spotted Big Mac carrying large empty wooden baskets for the workers to use. “Hey, Mac!” she hurried to meet him, and he looked at her with a friendly smile.

Sunset ran her hand through her hair as she pointed to her left and right. “Have you seen Applejack anywhere?”

He shook his head, his eyes lidded like he was sleepy. Or maybe it had to do with the boozy aroma she picked up when he said, “Nope.”

Sunset bit her lip and put her hands on her hips as she looked around. She didn’t let herself get too concerned with Big Mac’s private drinking habit. He was an adult, he looked lucid, and he was still working hard. Right now, she had more pressing concerns. Turning her attention back onto the tall man, she asked with a small tilt of her head, “She isn’t still looking for Apple Bloom, is she?”

Big Mac’s eyebrows lifted and his smile turned crooked. “Eyup,” his voice roughened a little. Clearly this wasn’t such an irregular occurrence.

Sunset winced. Applejack was no doubt going to be displeased with her sister. She’d once seen her blonde friend drag her younger sibling by the ear to Principal Celestia’s office when she’d caught the then eighth grader mixing flaming hydrogen balloons in the high school chemistry lab. Apple Bloom’s face had been a sooty black and her eyebrows were singed off. But the look on Applejack’s face! To say that the country girl didn’t have a temper would have been incredibly misguided.

Now Apple Bloom was missing when she was supposed to be home with Granny Smith. Sunset chewed her lip again as she thought about Granny’s feeble plea for more water.

“I’ll look for them,” Sunset told Big Mac as she waved and backpedaled away. “Thanks, Mac.”

He waved back as she marched off. She took her phone out to text Applejack and let her know what she was doing. That done, she rubbed her hands together and looked around. “Okay… So I just need to think. Where would Apple Bloom go?”

Applejack would no doubt look in all the places Apple Bloom was supposed to be. So Sunset figured, why not look in all the places she shouldn’t be?

Going away from the house and the orchard, Sunset first tried around the animal pens. She didn’t find Apple Bloom there. Next, she tried checking the barns and various outbuildings. Still nothing.

Just when she was about to give up, Sunset noticed an animal trail that headed off into the woods surrounding the property. Frowning, she approached the trailhead and spotted a footprint in the dirt that looked like a sneaker. Sunset entered the trail and followed it through the oak and birchwood trees. The sun hit her in patches through the canopy, and all around her crickets chorused. She inhaled deeply, her lips turning up in a gentle grin.

She liked the smell of damp soil and fresh leaves. They made her think of Equestria, where the ponies lived harmoniously with the natural environment. Here in the human world, Canterlot City was fun, but it was a dirty and jagged kind of fun. She supposed that’s why she still fit in here.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Sunset growled and energetically patted her cheeks. Stop that! Geez! It’s like your self-pity is a reflex today! She grumbled to herself with a deep pout as she stalked onward.

After a few minutes, the trail widened, and she could hear faint music.

Sunset shook her head, her lips puckering. “Got you, Apple Bloom…”

Not much further, and the trail led to a waving emerald meadow, crimson spikelets swaying with the breeze over the tall grass. In the heart of the small field there sat a small rusty poleshed near a dried creek bed. Just past it was an old rundown classic 50s sedan overgrown with plants and peeling its green paint. Apple Bloom was on top of the shed holding a recording device on a selfie stick. Next to her was a round Bluetooth speaker blaring some form of emo pop while lights danced across it in time with the music.

“You've got rearview eyes that spy the inequities of my past.
Blaring headlights of the future pass
And elicit that debilitating illness of insecurity.
It grips me whenever truth comes through that lens of retrospect.

“Oh, forget!

“Just redirect my mind
From those memories where a man
Scythed into my heart's defenses,
Then turned,
And walked away on a trail of broken promises

“Bastard!”

On the other side of the meadow was Scootaloo on a bike. Ahead of her was a tall ramp. Sunset’s stomach lurched when she saw Sweetie Belle shivering in the rocky creek bed just beyond it, an apple in her hand. Her pale green eyes were large circles that seemed to crowd the rest of her quivering ashen face.

“You guys, are you sure about this?” Sunset heard the girl call out, a noticeable shake in her voice. “What if Scootaloo doesn’t flip enough and can’t grab the apple??”

“Just sit tight, Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom yelled from the shed, her eyes fixed on her recording device’s display. She looked over at Scootaloo and smirked. “You ready?”

“Ready!” Scootaloo yelled, beaming so hard wrinkles formed at the corners of her soft purple eyes. She stood up on the pedals of her bike.

Sweetie wiped her palms on her jeans and held the apple high over her head. “R-Ready!” she squeaked.

Oh boy.

“HEY!” Sunset shouted as loudly as she could. She ran through the tall grass, stumbling on the uneven ground. “Woah, guys! Hold on!”

“Aw, busted,” Scootaloo griped as she stepped down off the pedals with a pout of her lip.

“Oh thank, God!” Sweetie Belle gasped, the tension melting from her face as she collapsed to the ground.

“Sunset, can we try one take? Please?” Apple Bloom pleaded. “It took us damn near an hour just to convince Sweetie to get into position!”

“Yeah, I can see why!” Sunset panted as she went to Sweetie and helped her to her feet with a small grunt. She cut a searing look up at Apple Bloom. “What the heck were you guys thinking? This is dangerous!”

“You mean daring,” Scootaloo said with a cheesy grin and finger guns. She climbed off the bike and walked with it toward the creek bed.

“And daring gets views,” Apple Bloom argued next. “This video could be the thing that finally pushes us over fifty thousand subscribers!”

“Is five minutes of fame worth your friends getting hurt?” Sunset retorted sharply. “Your sister is looking for you. You’re beyond lucky I found you first! If she saw what you were doing–!”

“Whatever,” Apple Bloom growled as she jammed the stop button on the Bluetooth speaker and began her climb off the pole shed.

“And what about you two?” Sunset looked at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle with crossed arms and a downturned mouth. “It’s a school day!”

“We came to give Apple Bloom, uh… Moral support!” Sweetie Belle said with a nervous grin.

Scootaloo nodded her head eagerly. “Yeah! Moral support!”

Sunset sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes. She could feel a headache coming on. “Does the school even know you’re here?”

Scootaloo snickered. Sweetie Belle at least had the good sense to look chagrined when she mumbled, “Um…”

“Don’t blame them,” Apple Bloom said as she approached. Her lower lip was jutted out and her skin creased sourly at the corner of her nose. “I asked them to come.”

Sunset peered curiously between them. “How’d you guys get on the property without AJ knowing, anyway?” she asked with a wry tone.

Apple Bloom handed Sweetie the Bluetooth speaker, then put her hands on her hips and shifted her weight to one foot, her eyebrow arching. Sunset could see the faintest hints of a smirk forming on her lips. Sweetie Belle pretended complete and utter fascination with her music device. Scootaloo was trying and failing at not laughing outright.

There must have been some secret back entrance the girls had been using. Was that how Apple Bloom snuck off with her friends without permission? It’d be hard to get them to give that up.

Sunset narrowed her eyes as her instincts flared. Something was off about these three today. She stepped closer to Sweetie Belle who leaned away with round eyes. Sunset inhaled deeply. Her nose tickled with a telltale skunky smell. Her gaze grew. “You’re high, too?” She shook her head at the three girls. “You guys, this is not a good look.”

“Come off it, Sunset,” Apple Bloom returned with a sassy toss of her red hair. “Like you never got up to mischief when you was in school!”

Sunset mirrored Apple Bloom’s stance. “You’re right,” she returned with a moody bob of her head. “In fact, I got up to worse. But even doing a quarter as much as I did is not cool!”

“Are you gonna make us leave?” Sweetie Belle asked with wide eyes.

Sunset pursed her lips. She did not want to be in this position. But if the girls didn’t call their absence into the school office, they were going to get into trouble for truancy anyway. She thought for a moment…

“How about this,” she said, looking at them all. “Come back up to the farm and help with today’s harvest. We’ll call the school and let them know you’re okay. It’s late enough that they’ll probably not insist on you coming back.” She looked pointedly at Apple Bloom. “Applejack’s going to have a word or two to say about it, and I think you owe it to her to listen. I can’t promise there won’t be any consequences, you guys, so don’t go begging.” She shrugged. “But I figure so long as you’re actually productive today, they might let you off light. I’ll try and keep AJ from going off the rails. Okay?”

The three girls looked at each other. With a gesture from Apple Bloom, they put their heads together, whispering furiously.

After a short conference, the three parted again, and Apple Bloom spoke, her face deathly serious. “You won’t mention the weed?”

“Or the stunt?” Scootaloo added, to the furious nods of agreement from her friends.

Sunset tongued her cheek and thought for a moment. “I can… neglect to mention those things,” she acquiesced after a moment. “But if you guys can’t sober up by the time we get back, then it’s on you if you get caught!”

“Deal,” Apple Bloom held her hand out.

Sunset felt some of the tension ease out of her shoulders as she grinned easily and shook it. “Let’s hurry back. I’m sure Applejack is worried,” she said.

Apple Bloom chuckled back, “Worried? Hell, my sis is probably pitching a hissy fit with a tail on it!”

“Apple Bloom, she gets upset because she just wants what is best for you,” Sunset said with a little frown.

The four of them started back the way Sunset had come. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hung back, murmuring amongst themselves. No doubt wondering what consequences would befall them once their families realized what they had done.

Sunset and Apple Bloom pulled ahead of them.

“Applejack treats me like a screwup,” Apple Bloom griped with a deeply furrowed brow and tight jaw. “She doesn’t understand. My friends and I are so close to making it as real content creators!”

“Is that why you uploaded the GIF of Diamond Tiara face-planting in cheerleading practice?” Sunset asked coolly. “Applejack told me why you got suspended. I'm not saying she was in the right, but if she sucker-punched you, I can kind of understand why Diamond did it, Apple Bloom. That GIF will last long past whatever feud you two have going on.” Her eyes tensed as her voice softened. “Does that really sound right to you?”

Apple Bloom shrugged, looking at Sunset sidelong. “That GIF got us a thousand new followers. Far as I’m concerned, it was worth it.”

Sunset looked at her somberly. “You’re angry.”

“Naw, I’m pleased as punch,” Apple Bloom returned sarcastically. “I ain’t gotta waste my time with a bunch of studies that won’t do me any good in another year anyhow!”

Sunset nodded with wide eyes. “Hmm! Sure! I can see that.”

The teenager scoffed at her. “You ain’t gonna ‘mentor’ this one, Sunset, so just save it.”

“All right,” Sunset held up her hands. “Believe me, I’m not trying to.”

Apple Bloom glared at her distrustfully. “I mean it! It’s no use!”

Sunset laughed. “Cripes, what do you want me to say? ‘You’re doing a great job?’ Fine!” She gestured at Apple Bloom grandly, an over-the-top smile on her pinched face. “You’re doing a great job, Apple Bloom! I’m sure five years from now, you won’t look back on any of this and regret a single thing.” She smiled sweetly and batted her eyes. “Happy now?”

Apple Bloom pouted sullenly at her. “You don’t gotta mock me, either,” she mumbled.

“Sorry. Maybe that was too much.” Sunset looked at her seriously. “But if you want me to sugarcoat it for you, you’re barking up the wrong tree. All right?” She thumbed at herself. “I nearly lost everything because I didn’t listen to the people who cared about me. But what do I know? I just got showered by a literal magical rainbow beam that turned me good again. My input’s trash. Right?”

Apple Bloom tilted her head back and groaned loudly, “You’re worse than the damn school counselor!”

Sunset only shrugged. This was why she never tried to join any of those community mentorship programs. At the end of the day, what could she say to convince anyone? It wasn’t like she had anything really figured out yet.

They walked in silence for a long time. When they left the trailhead and the farm proper was once again in view, Apple Bloom spoke. She sounded reluctant.

“I already took the GIF down,” she admitted through tight lips. Her amber eyes avoided Sunset. “But I couldn’t stop people saving it and sharing it. It’s outta my hands now.”

Sunset gazed at her quietly. “At least you tried.”

Apple Bloom stared back at her with a stark expression. “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, Sunset. And trying doesn’t make me good. Not when all I want is for Diamond to hurt like I do. And y’know what? I feel sick of it. Y’hear? I’m fucking sick of it! So I don’t give a crap that I got suspended! Far as I’m concerned, Principal Celestia did me a goddamn favor!”

Sunset’s heart squeezed. The girl was clearly hurting. She just masked it with sarcasm and bluster. Underneath it all, Apple Bloom felt misunderstood and worthless. Her apathy about missing school was probably her strange way of feeling some peace about her feud with Diamond Tiara. In Apple Bloom’s eyes, if all the trouble happened at school, then it stood to reason that missing school meant no more trouble. She was probably taking that rationalization a step further by wondering why she needed to go back. She wanted to be a content creator. What use was History and Science and Math if all she needed was to stay out of trouble long enough to make viral videos?

Sunset wished she could help the girl see how misguided she was. Did Applejack even realize what Apple Bloom was feeling? When was the last time someone tried to understand the girl instead of just scolding her?

Sunset had a brief flash of recollection, but it was sharp in its vividness. She remembered her mother, Stellar Flare, screaming at her about tormenting her little brother again. As a filly Sunset didn’t like competition, and that was true even in her home. She didn’t want to compete with Sunburst for their parents' affection. She could still see the spittle flying from her mother’s mouth as she ranted about what a reckless fool she was. It was the only other time her mother gave her real attention. The rest of the time was just to remind Sunset of all the great expectations the mare had for her, and how she’d better not screw them up.

In the present, Sunset watched as Apple Bloom marched off, her ponytail bobbing behind her. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle passed as well, casting her glances. Sweetie Belle’s was apologetic. Scootaloo’s was considerably cooler.

Sunset ran her hand through her hair and looked up at the sky. “Things can never be simple, can they?” she muttered.

She pulled her phone out and called Applejack. It only rang once. “Did you find her?” Applejack asked, breathless.

“Yeah,” Sunset said with a little wince. “Um, AJ? Look, before you talk to her, can we chat a little? We have a small situation.”

Applejack paced the porch, her cell phone pressed to her ear. Her cowboy boots clopped sharply over the wood. Sunset watched her warily, her arms crossed as she leaned on the porch railing. Big Mac sat nearby and stared ahead at nothing. He looked almost at ease, except for how tightly his fists were balled over his faded jeans.

Just past him, Apple Bloom slouched sullenly in a wicker chair. Sweetie Belle rocked anxiously in the rocker. Scootaloo sat crosslegged on the porch floor between them, absently plucking petals from a white flower.

“Mmm, hmm. Yep, I understand. Principal Celestia, I swear I had no idea,” Applejack said as she rubbed wearily at her eyes. “Yeah. I’ll let Rarity and Rainbow Dash know, too. Maybe they can also talk some sense into ‘em.” She sighed roughly and hung her head. “I’m awfully sorry about this, but at least they’re safe. Yes’m. Sure. You too.”

Applejack removed the phone from her ear, and Sunset could see the muscles in her jaw clenching tightly.

“What’s the verdict?” Sunset asked.

“Well, considering damn near most of the school session is gone, Celestia said she’d forgive Sweetie and Scoots missing what’s left of the day in exchange for me putting them to good honest work. They’ll be getting one day’s detention, too. It’ll still go on their records, though. She’s calling their parents now.” Applejack turned on the spot and glared irately at the trio at the other end of the porch. “You hear that, you chuckleheads? I’m putting your butts to work!” She thrust an angry finger at Apple Bloom. “And you. Don’t think you’re getting off easy, missy!” She held out a hand. “Cough up the camera!”

“What?” Apple Bloom sat ramrod straight, her eyes massive with shock. “You can’t be serious!”

“I’m as serious as a heart attack,” Applejack hissed, her lips pressed so thin they had no color.

Apple Bloom looked sharply at Big Mac. “And you?” she spat. “What you got to say about this? Or are you too drunk again to actually have any thoughts to share?”

Sunset stared wide-eyed as she rubbed at her temple. That headache was getting worse now. She felt beyond uncomfortable. She was seeing something too personal. This was a family matter, wasn’t it? Should she walk away and let them handle it? Her headache said yes, but her feet kept her rooted on the porch.

Big Mac looked at Apple Bloom slowly. Sunset felt her hairs stand up. It wasn’t so much the man’s expression that got to her. No, he had no expression. It was the stillness in his features. It made Sunset think of deep, deep oceans and all the dangerous things that lurked in their dark depths.

Big Macintosh stood, swaying only a little once on his feet, and went with heavy footsteps to his little sister.

Apple Bloom wasn’t a fool. She was wise enough to drop her gaze when he loomed over her.

Quietly, he held out his hand.

Sunset felt her chest seize when the tears filled Apple Bloom’s eyes. She pulled the compact recording device from her pocket and dropped it into Big Mac’s waiting hand.

The man turned and walked toward the stairs. As he passed Applejack, he thrust the camera at her without looking her way and left without a word.

Sunset frowned after him. Apple Bloom’s words had hurt him, that much was clear. But why this behavior toward Applejack?

Apple Bloom stood explosively from her chair, her face burning to match her vibrant hair, and she stormed off into the house.

“You can have the damn thing back at the end of the week, provided you don’t get up to any more mischief!” Applejack yelled after her, her cheeks pink and her neck muscles cording.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked at each other. Quietly they stood and shuffled after Big Mac, making sure to keep their heads down as they passed.

But at the top step, Sweetie Belle paused to look back at Applejack and Sunset. “She really is trying, you know,” she said softly. Her voice was small and her eyes looked moist. She flashed a little shaky smile before hurrying after Scootaloo.

A muscle worked in Applejack’s jaw as she ground her teeth. She looked over at Sunset and asked, “Was I too much?” She sounded weary.

Sunset shrugged uneasily. “It’s hard to say. They could’ve gotten into more trouble. I think most parents would make the same decision you did if they were in your position.”

Applejack scowled. “But?”

Sunset shook her head quickly and held up her hands. “No. No buts. I am not in a position to judge you. This is hard, AJ.” She bit her lip. Should she share her perspective? About Apple Bloom feeling misunderstood or her aversion to school? Would Applejack even be able to hear what she had to say if she did?

“I think so long as you’re disciplining out of love and trying to think about Apple Bloom’s feelings, then your good intentions will bear fruit,” Sunset eventually concluded. That was more than her parents had ever done for her, at any rate.

Applejack’s forehead wrinkled and the fire went out from her eyes. “That’s the question, though, ain’t it?” She looked through the screen door into the house. “Am I doing any of that?”

They worked into the later evening. Thanks to the trouble with the girls, they’d lost some precious hours' worth of progress, but Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had proven surprisingly useful. Applejack watched them appreciatively as they hurried to get apples into the loaders. Perhaps they were trying to please her for Apple Bloom’s sake.

They’re good friends, Applejack thought with a little smile.

They finished more or less around the same time as the day before.

“With ya’lls help, we might actually get this order done in time,” Applejack said, beaming at Sunset. They backed off as one of the seasonal workers drove off the last full tractor wagon for the day. Another section down. It felt good.

“Now let’s just see if we can get ready in time for tonight, too,” Sunset said.

“What are you guys doing tonight?” Scootaloo asked flipping a water bottle through the air and catching it with ease. Sweetie Belle was at her side, peering at them curiously.

Applejack smirked at them. “We’re going to a blues show.”

“Blues?” Scootaloo’s mouth twisted with disinterest. “Sounds boring.”

Sunset ticked a finger back and forth. “No way! You don’t know what you’re missing.”

Scootaloo made a stank face and pretended to play air guitar with her bottle. “Ohhh, my rent’s late!” she crooned in a deep gravelly voice.

Without missing a beat, Sweetie Belle chimed in with an air piano, her hands jabbing at the air like she’d seen her sister play. “Dun, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh!”

“Yeah, my baby left me!”

“Dun, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh!”

“But nobody said this rash’d be the thing that would get me!”

In unison, the girls sang, “Ooooh, I got the crotch rash blues!” They broke into giggles on the last note and high-fived each other.

Sunset laughed while Applejack shook her head and covered her face with her hand.

They started back for the house together. “Ya’ll wanna stay for dinner?” Applejack asked. They may have stayed to work as part of their punishment, but she didn’t see any reason to withhold her hospitality. It just wasn’t the done thing in the country.

“No, we can’t…” Sweetie Belle said with a sigh, her shoulders curving. “Our parents called us while we were picking apples. They want us home as soon as we’re done.”

Applejack nodded, her mouth pursing with sympathy. As good as she’d tried to be growing up, there had been a time or two when Granny Smith had summoned her home for a good scolding. Like that time she’d tried to slip Filthy Rich three of their family’s exclusive barrels of cider to sell at his store. She’d only wanted to expand their business, but boy howdy had Granny Smith been fit to explode! “I reckon ya’ll got a way to head back?” she asked the girls.

Sweetie Belle coughed nervously. “Er. Yeah. I have my car.”

Applejack smirked, crossing her arms. “You’re still parked out on the eastern side, right? Across from Oak Nut’s homestead?”

Sweetie and Scootaloo looked at her in surprise.

“You knew?” Scootaloo asked, her mouth hanging open.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Please. Who do you think was using that entrance to sneak off way back when?”

Sweetie Belle grinned sassily. “Big Mac?”

Applejack nodded her head, a proud smile on her face. “You’re damn right! But even if I was too honest to resort to sneaking off, I always knew the way was there.” She quirked an eyebrow. “So mind yourselves, girls!”

“All right,” they said in the fashion of any teenager being told to do an uncool thing. Applejack smiled wistfully at them. Had it really been just a few years ago when her and her friends would have responded the same way? Maybe they hadn't been problem-free, but certainly they'd been more carefree. It was a youthful attitude borne from naivety and freedom from responsibilities.

All of a sudden, she felt very old.

“Big Mac can drive ya’ll to your car, Sweetie,” Applejack said. “That way you don’t gotta hike in the dark.”

They entered the house to find Apple Bloom and Granny Smith cooking dinner. Country music played from the old kitchen radio. The girl sang with her elder as they chopped parsley, and they laughed all the while, barely able to sustain a note.

“Morphine’s gonna run me crazy
Cocaine’s gonna kill my baby
Pretty girls gonna cause me to lose my mind.
It’s nobody's business, nobody's business
Nobody's business if I do!”

“When she rides in a limousine
I buy the gasoline
Nobody's business if I do.
It’s nobody's business, nobody's business
Nobody's business if I do!”

“That’s where my money goes
To buy my baby clothes
Nobody's business if I do.”

“She runs a weenie stand
Way down in no man’s land
Nobody's business if I do.”

Applejack shook her head as she took her hat off and hung it on one of the hooks near the door. “That damn song again! Sometimes I think the radio station is short on CDs!”

Sunset frowned as she sat in the recliner and seemed to mull over what she was hearing. “Wait a second… That’s an old blues song! I had no idea there was a country cover of it.”

Applejack chortled, “Sugarcube, country ain’t just singing about faith n’ tractors.” She went to Big Mac who was sitting on the couch with a beer. “Hey,” she said, slapping his shoulder. “A’fore you drink much more of that, I’ma need you to drive the girls to Sweetie’s car. I’d do it, but Sunset and I gotta get ready to head out tonight.”

He pouted, but set the beer aside and stood up.

“Aw man, are you guys doing slow-cooked collard greens again?” Sweetie whined as she hopped on the spot. “I wish we could stay!”

“The greens are done if you want me to put it in a container for you, Sweetie Belle,” Apple Bloom said, looking at her brightly. She wiped her hands on a towel, pecked her grandmother on the cheek, and came over to them. “Ya’ll can’t stay, huh?”

“No,” Scootaloo said, looking bummed out. “My aunts need their pound of flesh, too.”

“And my parents actually want to parent for once. Even Rarity was going to come over to give me a piece of her mind,” Sweetie Belle sighed, looking equally glum.

“Sorry I got you guys in trouble,” Apple Bloom said, looking down. “It was dumb of me to ask you to come over.”

Scootaloo shrugged. “Whatever! Today I had a math test with Cranky Doodle that I was totally not ready for. Now I’ve got another night to study before I make it up!”

“Still not a good reason to skip school,” Applejack interjected sharply as she passed them by to the kitchen. She opened up one of the pots bubbling on the stove. “Mmm! Apple Bloom, you and Granny been cooking up a storm, I see!”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said, though she didn’t sound too enthusiastic. Applejack’s lips pursed. Maybe she had been a little harsh earlier. She could have eased off, if only just to spare her sister’s pride in front of her friends.

Big Mac was at the door and jingled the keys loudly, making the girls look over at him.

Sweetie Belle hugged Apple Bloom. “We’ll see you later, Apple Bloom! Don’t worry about the collard greens.” She pulled away and rubbed her friend’s arms affectionately. “The week’s almost through. You can do it.”

Scootaloo bumped fists with Apple Bloom next. “We’ll see if we can come over this weekend and help out!” she said with a wink.

Apple Bloom smiled lopsidedly at them. “Thanks guys. Ya’ll are the best.”

They saluted in unison and cried out. “CMC out!”

Applejack smiled surreptitiously as she leaned on the counter and watched Sweetie and Scootaloo leave with her brother through the screen door. Even as juniors in high school they still managed to sound adorable. Apple Bloom went to sit on the couch next to Sunset. This brought a sting of disappointment. Applejack had hoped to pull her sister aside to apologize for how stern she’d been earlier.

From her chair, Sunset called out, “Hey, AJ! You should get ready first. I might take a while.”

This made Applejack’s eyes widen. That was right! She hadn’t thought about how, exactly, she was going to get ready for that evening. A hot shower sounded obvious. But after that…?

“Say, uh…” Applejack went to stand next to Sunset in the recliner and wheeled her hands through the air. “What should I wear to this thing? Can I dress casual?”

“I’d dress up a little for sure,” Sunset said with a certain nod as she looked up at her. “It’s true that the place we’re going to isn’t the ritz, so lay off the formal, but people still dress up for a fun night out, if that makes sense?”

Applejack rubbed the back of her neck with a little grimace. “Sure.”

Sunset watched as Applejack ascended up the stairs until she was out of sight. She looked at Apple Bloom and her lips pushed up, creasing her eyes with warmth. “You seem in better spirits! I’m glad.”

Apple Bloom bobbed her head once. She still hadn’t looked directly at Sunset since they’d talked in the woods hours ago. Was she embarrassed that she’d revealed her vulnerability?

Sunset turned her attention to the box television when the other girl didn’t say anything else. She hoped her nonchalant air would put the girl at ease. Like Applejack, Apple Bloom seemed to have trouble confronting her feelings head on. The distraction turned out to be easier than she thought. The TV’s volume was set to mute, but the news was playing. The headline at the bottom read something about how organized crime was on the rise in the city.

No kidding? She thought wryly. If they only knew.

“Sunset,” Apple Bloom said. “Can I ask ya something?”

Sunset looked at her curiously, a little balloon of hope filling up inside her. Would Applejack’s little sister do what she couldn’t and address her feelings honestly and directly?

Apple Bloom had a small, knowing smile on her lips. “You like my sister, don’t you?”

Sunset’s eyes widened, feeling the metaphorical balloon deflate with a farting hiss. “Me?” She didn’t know what else to say. Why did the Apples keep confounding her like this?

The younger teenager cackled lightly, clearly delighted that she’d caught Sunset off-guard. “Well, I sure ain’t talking to the TV!”

Sunset leaned away, her cheeks tinged pink. “We’re friends! Of course I like your sister.”

“Uh, huh.” Apple Bloom chuckled low. “Don’t think I miss all them looks you been giving her lately!”

Sunset leveled a hard stare at her, re-assembling some form of decorum. “I really don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said as matter-of-fact as she could.

“Sure. Plead the fifth. But I got eyes, that’s all I’m saying.” Apple Bloom snapped her fingers and punched her hands in quick succession, repeating the nervous fidget a few times as she leaned forward onto her knees and looked at Sunset sidelong. “Anyway… I just wanna say, I’m sorry for copping so much attitude earlier. I was just sore about getting caught, but fact was, I didn’t have any business doing what I was doing.” She winced. “And…yeah, that stunt we was about to try was dumber’n hell.”

Sunset smiled compassionately. “You guys were high, that’s all. It’s not like our friends didn’t do stupid things when we were bored, and we were usually sober when we did them!”

“Seems like all I do are stupid things,” Apple Bloom muttered, looking back at the television. Now there was a news report about Everfree University acquiring Egyptian artifacts on loan from Egypt, with a professor named A.K. Yearling in charge of setting up a museum display in the city’s Museum of History. Various ornate objects were displayed, including geometric carvings, golden jewelry, and a bronze knife.

“Hey,” Sunset said, leaning over to touch her arm. Apple Bloom looked at her reluctantly. Sunset smiled. “Even after Harmony put me on the right path, I still did plenty of dumb things. You just keep trying. It’s all you can do.” She lifted her eyebrows. “You know what wouldn’t be dumb?”

“What?” Apple Bloom asked with a wary eye.

Sunset pointed up. “Talking to Applejack. Your sister loves you. But you have to give her a chance to understand, right?”

Apple Bloom inhaled deeply, and Sunset could see the debate raging in her mind as she stared through the television, lights and colors dancing across her amber eyes.

Sunset sat back and resumed watching the television herself. She knew it wasn’t easy to open up to people. She still struggled with it every day. She earnestly hoped that Apple Bloom would take that chance, though.

Minutes went by, wherein she thought about her brother, Sunburst. Sunset shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she realized she was being a hypocrite again. If she wanted to have a relationship with her little brother, she needed to try and reach out to him. It was just that every time she thought about doing that, she froze up. It wasn’t so much rejection she was afraid of. It was failure. Failure to keep her self-pity at bay. Failure to bear the pain of all the years she’d missed. Failure to convey how sorry she was for all the things she’d done to him.

Sorry for being an evil older sister.

As was usually the case when it came to anything Sunburst, Sunset hastily sought relief from the distressing thoughts. She checked her phone. She saw a group text from Rainbow Dash that was addressed to her and Pinkie Pie.

>RD: Rehearsal 4 the sorority party on Fri nite?

>PP: I’m down!

It had been sent several hours ago. Sunset bit her lip. Boy, her week was feeling full. But she also knew the sorority event was coming soon, and if they were serious about performing for it, they did need to have a few rehearsals under their belt or they’d be out of sync. With pursed lips, she sent:

>SSh: Count me in.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Apple Bloom stand up and she turned to regard the girl. She pointed a stern finger at Sunset. “I’ll go talk to her, but then I want you to come up in five minutes, y’hear?”

Sunset batted her eyes. “Why?”

Apple Bloom made a face. “Cuz this is gonna be awkward, and if there’s one thing us Apples appreciate, it’s a timely interruption!”

Sunset laughed. “Okay! Sure. I’ll come up in five.”

Applejack was trying to find something, anything she could wear that night before she went to take her shower. She hadn’t dressed for a night out in town since she’d graduated high school two years ago.

Her selection of “fashionable” clothes had waned since Rarity had stopped being around to curate for her on a regular basis. She’d since rid herself of much of those things, not for lack of gratitude toward her friend, but because she didn’t go out anymore. That, and she felt too ugly for any of it, anyway.

She still had a few things, though. Not all of them fit great, but she had them. Since leaving Canterlot High, Applejack had gotten larger. Not unhealthy weight, but rather, pure muscle. Most of her physique really was just a result of her work on the farm, but not entirely. She did workout at least three times a week. Mostly bodyweight exercises, but they also owned an adjustable bench press set that she shared with her brother in the garage.

What really did it though, in her opinion, was her consistent work on the farm. It had transformed her physique, making everyday tasks easier, but it presented challenges when it came to finding suitable clothing for nicer events. She wasn’t lean on body fat like Rainbow Dash, but when fully flexed she measured a fifteen-inch bicep. Apple Bloom liked to joke that Applejack needed to audition for a superhero movie.

Applejack hadn’t meant to turn into some bodybuilder. She wasn’t, not really. She’d just wanted to keep herself strong for work, and the exercising helped to lessen the depression that threatened to drag her down every day. Her routine wasn’t that intense, so her transformation had seemed strange. Helped along, even. Twilight had speculated that maybe her body was just shaping itself to match her pony-form powers. Applejack liked how much easier it was to get things done, so she hadn’t felt the need to stop.

But it still left her with a predicament. All of her “nice” clothes were too small for her beefy arms and broader shoulders. She leaned on the doorway of her closet, a wrinkle forming on her brow as the desperation she’d been feeling congealed into a sense of defeat. She had nothing to wear.

She heard a knock on her door and looked to see Apple Bloom eyeing her. “Low on options, huh?” She said with a sympathetic smile.

Applejack sighed roughly and looked back at her clothes. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Oh, I can believe it!” Apple Bloom chortled as she sauntered into the room. “It’s been a while since you gone out like this. Lemme guess… Everything is small up here?” Apple Bloom sucked in air and raised her arms in a dramatic flex.

Applejack glared at her. “You coming in with solutions, or are you just here to have a laugh at your elder’s expense?”

“Look, I didn’t come here to tease you,” Apple Bloom said with a rough sigh. She fidgeted on the spot, looking around her sister’s dimly lit room. All that brightened the space was the soft orange glow from the closet bulb and Applejack’s small bedside lamp. After a long awkward moment, she finally said, “I wanted to apologize for leaving Granny Smith alone for so long. I still gotta talk to Mac too. It hadn’t really been my intention to go neglectin’ things and saying all that I did. I just sorta… lost it, I guess.”

Applejack’s gaze softened. She scratched her hair at her hairline. “Apple Bloom, I been thinking… I didn’t need to lay into you so much in front of your friends.” She gestured weakly at her sister. “I just see you struggling and honestly,” she shrugged. “I’m just worried about you, sis. I don’t know what you’re thinking half the time.”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at her. “You could try asking me.”

Applejack nodded, her lips pinching together. “Yeah. I could try and do that more.” She squinted her eyes at her. “But would you actually tell me what you’re thinking?”

Apple Bloom sighed and rubbed her arm. After another long moment, she shrugged as well. “Maybe? But would you listen?”

Applejack chuckled. “Good question!” She gestured at her clothes. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll do my best. Meanwhile, I’ll sure listen to any ideas you got about what I should wear tonight!”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes at her, but she was grinning. “You’re hopeless, Applejack.”

“Don’t I know it.” Applejack made a face and rifled through her clothes. “I’m as lost as a mole above ground!”

Apple Bloom went and stood next to her at the closet. “Lemme see, have you got… Aha!” Apple Bloom plucked a dark frayed jean vest with ripped sleeves. “This! Go sleeveless! Show off them arms!”

Applejack let her head hit the closet door. “I can’t show my arms," she intoned.

Apple Bloom shifted her weight to one foot and put her hand on her hip. “Why not?”

Applejack hesitated. “Because…”

“Because she doesn’t want to make everyone faint from how amazing she looks,” came Sunset Shimmer’s voice.

Both sisters turned to see Sunset Shimmer in the bedroom doorway.

“AJ, you need help picking something out?” she asked with a small tilt of her head.

“Uh…” Applejack’s mind went blank. Did she really want to admit to her fashionable friend that she was like any classless bumpkin without a clue as to how to look nice? The thought seemed mortifying, so she froze. Apple Bloom’s elbow buried itself in her gut, making her grunt. Her thoughts thawed back into motion. There was no use denying the obvious. “Er, yeah! Mm, hmm. Yep, I’m… uh… just not sure what to wear.”

“She’s kind of a hulk,” Apple Bloom chirped. Applejack glared daggers at her, but said to Sunset, "I tossed a few options on the bed if you wanna help me out."

"Sure!" Sunset replied, beaming with enthusiasm, and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up as she moved toward the bed.

While she was absorbed in sitting on the mattress and rifling through the options, Apple Bloom arched an eyebrow at Applejack, nodding toward Sunset. She likes you! She silently mouthed.

Applejack shook her head adamantly and mimed zipping her lip. She’d just about die if Sunset saw them whispering–

“You guys okay?” Sunset asked, looking at them curiously.

Applejack let her head fall to her chest, the heat rising up fast and turning her red from scalp to toes. “Yep! We’re just dandy,” Applejack looked at her sister pointedly, “Apple Bloom was just leaving.”

As Apple Bloom walked past her with her head turned away from Sunset, she mouthed, Kiss her!

Applejack’s lip twitched like she was about to snarl. She loved her sister, but damn if she wasn’t a pain in the ass sometimes! Where did she get such crazy ideas? There was no way Sunset liked her! Applejack's expression tightened as she eyed Sunset on the bed. Her friend was turned away from her, allowing her gaze to linger without self-consciousness. Wariness colored her green eyes a shade darker. The idea of Sunset seeing through her defenses stirred a mix of discomfort and… curiosity.

What would she think?

Sunset let go of a cream-colored blouse as she turned to look at Applejack, and the sudden shift in attention made Applejack flinch with anxiety. The cowgirl felt worried all of a sudden that the door to the stairs had been left open. She had a mental image of Apple Bloom eavesdropping at the bottom of the steps and hurried to shut it, her boots clicking sharply on the floor. She let out a little breath when the lock clicked into place.

“Sorry you’re having a tough time,” she heard Sunset say. Applejack regarded her with a muted smile, one hand still on the shut door. “You still have some jewelry, right?” Sunset went on with a bright smile. “Why not just throw on one of your flannels and jazz it up with accessories?”

“I mean… I suppose I could, but it seems a shame to go in there looking so plain when you’re gonna go to all this effort!” Applejack put her hands on her hips as she traveled back to her closet, her lip pouting and her brow knitted. “I saw that duffel bag of yours. What you thinking of wearing, anyway?”

Sunset shrugged as she stood and joined Applejack’s side. “I’m not trying to glam it up like Rarity or anything. I think you’ll look great no matter what.”

Applejack’s lips pressed together as her eyelids lowered with her skepticism. “Oh yeah? How’s that?”

Sunset gestured at her with a stretched expression, as if her friend had asked what color the sky was. “Are you kidding me? You look like an action movie star! You literally have an hour glass shape, Applejack. You could walk in there naked and everyone would love it.”

Applejack scoffed, feeling the heat on her skin intensify. “Everyone?”

Sunset crossed her arms and smirked. “Yeah.”

They gazed at each other for a long moment.

No. It was in her head. Apple Bloom was just teasing her.

…Right?

“What do you suggest?” Applejack asked quietly, her eyes tensing.

“We could use the spell I used to cover my scars,” Sunset returned gently. “That way no one sees the bandage on your arm, and you can show off those impressive guns of yours.”

“You…don’t think they’re too much?” Applejack asked with a little wince. She had an idea of what most other girls thought of her. There had been a time or two on campus where a boy would take a fancy to her, like Ace High. The trouble with guys chasing her wasn’t just that she wasn’t interested, but that there usually was some other girl who was. Like clockwork, they’d show up to attack her. They treated her like a freak. Not really a woman.

Sunset frowned and stepped closer. “No. I don’t think they’re too much.” She gently took Applejack’s arm and undid the buttons on her sleeve cuff. She pulled back the sleeve and positioned Applejack’s arm up as if silently instructing her friend to hold it there, so Applejack did.

“I’m going to trace the rune symbols over your arm, and I want you to repeat after me, okay?” Sunset told her.

Applejack swallowed and nodded.

Sunset gave her an encouraging smile and with her finger, began to trace symbols around the large bandage that Applejack vaguely recognized as Old Ponish, even if she didn’t know the individual shapes' meanings.

“Burning hurt, wounds beneath,” Sunset murmured.

“Burning hurt, wounds beneath,” Applejack dutifully repeated. She could feel the gooseflesh break out over her skin with every stroke of Sunset’s finger.

“Hide this pain and give me peace.” Sunset’s lidded eyes were trained on her face. They were glowing a little again.

Applejack began to shiver as she felt her own magic rise up. It made her skin hot and she felt electrified.

“Hide this pain and give me peace.” She barely managed to get the words out, but the second she did so, there was a muted hum, and within the next second her bandage vanished from view.

“There,” Sunset said with a satisfied sigh. “Now no one will see or feel the bandage there.” She wagged a finger. “You will, though. So you still need to be careful, okay?”

“You mean you can’t feel it?” Applejack asked breathlessly. Spellwork was something she hadn’t trained in as much after gaining their powers. Sunset and Twilight were the only ones who practiced it earnestly. Rarity knew a few spells, but nothing too complicated. All their talk of magical SMILEs and proper casting techniques had seemed over her head. She couldn’t even confidently remember what the acronym for SMILE stood for. Something to do with how the runes were arranged, maybe?

Sunset shook her head with a little grin. “Nope! This is the same spell we used for the portals. On larger items, the illusion doesn’t mask sensory touch as good, kind of like a weave being stretched too thin. That’s why we placed additional wards to make people turn away from the portals before they get too close. But on smaller objects?” She ran her hand over Applejack’s arm gently. Applejack could feel the pressure from her touch through the bandage, just as Sunset had said. “Others can’t feel a thing.”

Applejack’s lower lip pushed up with her appreciation. “Handy!”

“Now that that’s settled,” Sunset leaned on the wall. “What was Apple Bloom trying to recommend?”

Applejack rolled her eyes and thumbed at the closet. The jean vest hung in the open space between her clothes. “This vest.”

Sunset picked up the hanger and considered it. After a moment, she smirked. “I think she’s on to something…” She placed the vest on a coat hook on the back of the closet door, then rifled through Applejack’s hangers.

Applejack felt her cheeks color as redneck shirt after redneck shirt was rifled past. She really should have paid closer attention to Rarity’s tips on fashion, she felt like such a simple hick what with all her flannels and coveralls…

“Here!” Sunset plucked a dark green tank top that buttoned all down the front.

Applejack ran an anxious hand through her hair. “I think that might be too small, now.”

“Can we try it, quick?”

Applejack felt her blush, which really hadn’t gone away since this had started, intensify. “Now?”

Sunset handed the shirt to her. “Yep! I can leave the room if you’re uncomfortable?”

Damn. Now Applejack wondered what to do. In the past, their friends had felt comfortable enough to strip down to their bras around each other for sleepovers. But now…?

At Applejack’s prolonged silence, Sunset started to back away. “Here, lemme–”

“Hold on, hold on,” Applejack said with a sigh. She hung the tank top on the door hook and started to unbutton her shirt with shaking fingers.

Sunset looked away. Was she really blushing, too? “You sure?” She asked. Applejack wasn’t imagining it. Her friend’s voice had gone a little raspy, not unlike Rainbow Dash’s when she was nervous.

Steady, Applejack told herself as her breathing shallowed. It’s like high school all over again. Ain’t nothing out of the ordinary.

“It’s fine,” she said as she shrugged out of her flannel shirt to reveal her dark navy bra. Her skin still burned with a full-body blush, but that couldn’t be helped. Not when she was stripping down to her delicates in front of someone like Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset hesitated a moment before looking at her. Her eyebrows rose. “Holy crap.”

Applejack paused as she put her hands on the tank top, her heart jumping a little. No, scratch that. It jumped alot. She was surprised she managed not to faint, the shock had been so bad! “What?” she asked thickly. There were days when she wished she could be more than just a simple-minded hayseed.

Sunset beamed at her. “You have a six pack! Seriously, how can you be ashamed of your body?”

Applejack batted her eyes at her before she let loose a rough chuckle and shook her head. The relief that poured into her chest eased some of the burning embarassment on her skin. She unbuttoned the tank top with sweaty fingers and slipped it off the hanger. “I may not think I’m all that pretty, but I like my body. What it can do at least. It’s just everyone else that seems to have a problem with it. They think I juice up for this.”

Sunset pushed a hand out sideways, her lips tilting crookedly. “Forget everyone else. They don’t know you.”

“Yeah, that’s what I try to do. Ain’t always easy,” Applejack admitted with a little sigh. She slipped the shirt on over her shoulders and began buttoning it back up clumsily. When she was done, she looked down at herself, then at Sunset. “It’s a bit short, Sun. Must’ve shrank the last I washed it… Which was probably three damn years ago.” The hem stopped just over her navel. The shirt had always been on the short side, but now it looked like a bonafide belly shirt. She grimaced as she flexed her shoulders back. “And it’s a little tight around the girls!”

“All the better to show off your abs!” Sunset said with an appreciative nod. “As for the tightness… Um, may I?” Sunset gestured at the buttons on Applejack’s shirt.

Blinking, Applejack shrugged and raised a hand. Go ahead.

Sunset let out a little breath, then drew near. She unfastened the top button. “You’re so determined to hide yourself,” her friend tutted. She undid another button. “But I cannot stress enough what an incredibly amazing body you have.” She went lower and lower. Her eyebrow arched as their eyes met. “If I were you, I’d show off these breasts every chance I got!”

Applejack found it a little harder to breathe as Sunset came to her bust line. “But maybe after this, you’ll believe me?” The last button came undone. Sunset stepped away, her eyes appraising. Her smile curled and she gestured at Applejack’s standing mirror near the window. “Put on the jean vest and tell me what you think.”

Doing this and trying to hide the way her body was trembling wasn’t easy. Applejack went to her mirror and peered at her reflection.

With much of the top buttons undone so that Applejack’s chest no longer felt squeezed, she whistled to see her cleavage on full display. The tank top and vest did, in fact, do a nice job of framing her strong abs. Applejack turned from side to side. Adjusted her breasts so that they sat up higher in the bra. “Hmm! Not bad!”

It even felt like her style. Tough and practical, but still with a touch of femininity.

“Pair that with these,” Sunset said, going to the closet and grabbing a pair of ripped jeans. “And I think you’ll have something pretty hot!”

Applejack took the pants. “Thanks, Sun.”

Sunset winked. “No problem. I’m gonna go grab my duffel bag off the bike and sneak in a smoke if that’s okay.”

“Yep, have at ‘er.”

As Sunset left the room, the soft creak of the door echoed in the cozy space. Applejack sank onto her well-worn bed, surrounded by the familiar comfort of her room, the burgeoning moonlight casting a cool glow through the curtains. Applejack’s heart was about ready to leap out of her chest. “I’m in trouble,” she breathed shakily.

Applejack proved quick to get ready. She’d put on the ripped dark jeans Sunset had suggested to match her vest and black cowboy boots. She swapped her usual hat for a dark brown woven sun hat with a black leather cord that had jade beads on it, the brim curled on the sides. She didn’t put on any makeup save to do some simple eyeliner. At Apple Bloom’s suggestion, she put on a gold chain necklace with a simple heart locket. It drew the eye to her impressive cleavage, and Sunset heartily approved.

The cowgirl looked good. Really good.

Now that it was her turn, Sunset hurried into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it. She leaned back against it, and let out a long breath through tight lips.

Get it together.

The bathroom was only a little more spacious than the one she had back at the dorm, but she was glad for the extra room. Folded against the wall was a gray geriatric chair for Granny Smith. The shelves were lined with the Apple family’s various toiletries. Sunset ran her fingers over the girly, fruit-scented sprays on the shelf. Apple Bloom's signature scents were a stark contrast to the cologne that belonged to Big Mac, a subtle reminder of the diverse tastes within the Apple family. Applejack’s small makeup bag still sat on the broad counter. Curious, Sunset rifled through it. Her friend didn’t have much in the way of makeup, but in her opinion, the girl didn’t need it. She looked beautiful just as she was.

Sunset stripped her clothes off and stepped into the bathtub. The tub floor had a shower mat, and the tiled walls were fixed with a couple of white grip bars so that Granny could steady herself when bathing. The space showed the signs of time and wear from usage, but otherwise, the tub was immaculately clean.

She turned the water on. The pipes groaned before the showerhead reluctantly sputtered into life. Sunset put her face in the stream and closed her eyes.

The situation was getting away from her. If Apple Bloom could sense that she had feelings, then it wouldn’t take much longer for Applejack to figure it out. That was if she hadn’t already. Now it wasn’t just Sunset getting close. She could feel her friend drawing nearer with every passing hour. Things had escalated so quickly over the last few days. She fretted, wondering what would happen. Would she screw everything up? Should she wait or make a move? It was so strange to hesitate. Even when she’d courted Flash Sentry way back when she hadn’t paused or slowed down.

How hard it had been to behave in that bedroom with Applejack. To keep her hands solely on the task of unfastening those buttons. To not let her eyes linger on the inviting sight of her friend’s lovely chest. She’d just wanted to bury her face there. To taste the salt of Applejack’s skin. To run her hands worshipfully over that amazing physique.

Need to get my head right.

Feeling unsteady, Sunset grabbed the bar of soap and set to washing the sweat and dirt from her body. She tried to be quick. Since she was washing her hair, she’d need to use the hair blower to dry her locks again, and with her thick curly mane that could take a while. Her hand drifted toward her aching sex, and she stilled.

Just really quick. Need to ease the tension.

She planted a hand on the wall and lingered around her moist pussy, her teeth catching her bottom lip.

Something has to happen soon. I can’t wait anymore.

Her fingers slipped over her sudsy clit, and she caressed this place, her eyes falling shut.

“Damn it,” she gasped quietly, water trickling from her trembling lips.

She came quickly and her head spun. She held the shower handles and tried to steady her breathing.

Under the comforting spray of the shower, Sunset wrestled with her emotions. Applejack's sheepish laughter echoed in her head, intertwining with the worry that this budding connection might unravel. The intensity between them felt both exhilarating and unnerving. As the water streamed down, Sunset questioned if this leap into the unknown would lead to happiness or unforeseen depths, all the while uncertain of the currents pulling her into uncharted waters.